Breastfeeding the newborn

By Dr. MANU

At the outset, I would like to welcome you to Dr Manu’s Gynecology Clinic. So, in this blog post we are going to discuss about breastfeeding your new born baby.

Breastfeeding has numerous advantages on your little loved one!. First and most importantly it gives nutrition and support for the growing child and next it helps in the emotional bonding

The WHO recommends exclusive breast feeding with mother’s milk in the 1st 4 months of the babies development. This is because the breast milk contains antibodies that confer a high degree of protection to the new born

Not just immunity, breastfeeding the child regularly has a number of health benefits like

Breast milk contains all the nutrients for supporting the child’s first 4-6 months of development

It helps with development of the Jaw

Immunity is built

For the mother as well, regular breastfeeding of the baby helps in

Reducing the risk of spontaneous bleeding immediately post delivery

Also reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancer in the long run!

Normally after delivery, the first milk produced is thick and yellowish. It’s called the colostrum and it is highly rich in antibodies. It is very important that the newborn receives immediate breastfeeding post birth, since the colostrum will be gradually replaced with mature breast milk over the next few days

“WHO recommends 4 months of exclusive breastfeeding”

Good attachment –

Some quick tips that you should follow to ensure good attachment of the child include

Sit comfortably upright

Hold your baby close to you, while supporting your child’s neck and shoulders with your hand

Remember to move your breast close to the baby and not vice versa

Gently stroke the baby’s mouth with the area below the nipple, this will trigger the child to open the mouth wide

Try to aim the nipple towards the roof of the baby’s mouth.

Babies tend to feed quite often usually about 8 to 12 times in a 24 hour period. A good sign to see if he is feeding well is to check if baby has at least 6-8 wet cloth nappies per day and reasonably contented. Remember one thing well, you never want to use pacifiers or artificial feeds, since this reduces not only the child’s dependency on breast milk but also reduces your milk secretion.

Breast feeding is a natural process but it is also a learning process. Be patient and tolerant, you may lose sleep during the night, but at the end of the day, that little baby in your hand is ‘a little world of your own’

So,

I hope you enjoyed reading this short post on breast feeding your new born. Please do share this post will all mom’s to be and do subscribe to us!